Between 1914 and 1916, the British composer Gustav Holst composed a seven-movement orchestral suite inspired by, and titled, The Planets.

Today, our solar system’s planets are the subject of a new musical opus- this one by legendary producer Dr. Dre. The good doctor describes his new all-instrumental project thusly: “It’s just my interpretation of what each planet sounds like… I’ve been studying the planets and learning the personalities of each planet.”

So, humble reader, is Dre channeling the ghost of Gustav Holst or did he just learn that Carl Sagan was a toker? Either way, I haven’t been so excited about the intersection of outer space and music since those charming Jewish boys went Intergalactic back in 1998.

Music has long been a bridge between peoples and cultures and in the modern era, this is increasingly true. (Remember that movie where the Egyptian police band gets stranded in Israel? Or that movie where the camel weeps to the soft ‘hoos’ of musicians?)

Today, music is more globally accessible, and therefore more relatable to seemingly disparate peoples and places. As an American, this is especially evident in the middle and near east.

When journalist Gregory Warner (GlobalPost) brought his accordian to Afghanistan, he probably didn’t expect it to be such a powerful instrument of good. Watch:

But it isn’t just the Man In Black who transcends geographic and cultural borders. Counter-culture, of all things, seems to trump accepted culture in its ability to cross the divide between peoples. Take a look at these two photos:

I spy a Rancid shirt.

One of these photos was taken in Casablanca, Morocco. The other, well, wasn’t. If you can’t tell (I don’t really blame you) click to find out which is which and read about a recent heavy metal festival that took place in the North African nation.

So, what can be made of these musical connections we share with foreign peoples? Well, maybe music needs to play a greater role in popular diplomacy. Maybe we need to know how many other foreign leaders listen to Pink Floyd. And maybe, just maybe, Bono does deserve to be a U.N. goodwill ambassador.

In yet another demonstration that the Vatican has its finger squarely on the pulse of today, the Church publicly forgave iconic rock’n’roll band The Beatles Saturday for their history of drug use and inflammatory statements.

Marking the 40th anniversary of the band’s break-up, the Vatican’s newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, published a tribute to The Fab Four and publicly made peace with the British rockers this weekend. In 1966, John Lennon famously remarked that the band was ‘more popular than Jesus‘ to the outrage of many Catholics.

Perhaps, by extending this olive branch, the Vatican has finally confirmed Lennon was right.

In all seriousness, this offer of peace between the Holy See and The Beatles is a win-win for music and religion. The editors here at Goodosphere are delighted the Vatican has decided to bury the hatchet and simply Let It Be.